Here's what McMaster's win means for South Carolina

COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) -- USC Political Science Professor Todd Shaw said it's no surprise Governor Henry McMaster will serve as governor for the next four years. “I think overall the elections demonstrated just how closely divided the American electorate is,” Shaw said. “He now sort of has a mandate, a fairly strong majority, and a mandate as an incumbent governor he's been elected to that pulse matters.”

Shaw believes the governor will focus on bringing more jobs to the state and lean on lawmakers to invest money in school safety.

On Tuesday voters also decided not to allow the governor to choose the superintendent of education. “When he puts education at the top of his list he will still have to do what most governors have had to do which is lead in education by influence as opposed to direct authority,” Shaw said.

All across the nation Tuesday several Republican candidates took home the win in red states like Florida and Georgia making it one of the largest voter turnouts across the nation.

In South Carolina, the Election Commission said 55 percent of registered voters cast their ballots. “What it means is that there was high mobilization on both sides of a parties divide,” Shaw said. “So the blue wave I would say was met by a red wall when we look at it relative to South Carolina.”

While President Donald Trump’s visit to South Carolina may have helped McMaster win, Shaw said he could start to distance himself from the president. “Now that we've had a woman serve as governor and now lieutenant governor of the state, I think the Republican party is going to want to make a case as well about the closing of any gender gap,” Shaw said. “That will certainly not play to some of the politics that have certainly been around the president.”